Once Upon A Different Life
by Georgy-Girl
Summary: No matter how much someone tries, can life be what it used to be after so much has changed? A familiar face returns to Ashfordly after many years away.
1. Chapter 1

Dennis let out a slow breath and surveyed the building in front of him. 3 years. 3 years since he'd stepped foot in Ashfordly Police Station, and he wasn't quite sure he was ready to be back. He was on the verge of turning on his heel and leaving when a young man in uniform he didn't recognise exited the front door.

The policeman straightened his back when he saw the man stood in the car park, and Dennis subconsciously straightened his uniform as well.

"We weren't expecting you until this afternoon, sir."

"Aye, I know, but I decided it was best to get the introductions over and done with as soon I arrived in town."

The policeman nodded and turned to walk Dennis back into the building.

After another calming breath, the scot followed him in.

…

Alf bit happily into his sandwich. Mrs Ventress had packed him his favourite sort of lunch today, a pickled egg sandwich and a pack of biscuits. Now he was alone in the station, he'd make himself a lovely cup of tea shortly and then put his feet up.

His plans were ruined when the young constable Taylor rushed back into the station and hissed, "Alf, he's here already!"

From habit rather than because he needed to stand to attention for his superiors anymore, Alf stood from his seat and began brushing crumbs from his cardigan before he looked up as a man entered the front door.

"Sarge!"

Dennis gave a slight smile, seeing the remnants of a sandwich all over the older man's front. "Things haven't changed much, I see. And it's Inspector now."

Alf looked down at his front, then up with a slightly guilty smile. "No one told us it would be you."

"Aye well, it was a last minute decision. Is the sergeant in?"

"Ah, no. He's out, but he should be back shortly."

Dennis nodded and stood silently for a moment before asking the man who stood behind him, "Are you going to introduce yourself to me lad, or do I have to guess who you are?"

Constable Taylor rushed round to stand in front of the inspector. "Sorry, Sir. I'm Probationary Constable William Taylor."

"Well as you weren't expecting me until later, I'll excuse the dirty shoes and missing button this time."

William looked down and realised the state of his uniform. He mumbled an apology and rushed from the room to right the situation.

Turning his attention back to Alf, Dennis raised an eyebrow. "No one has managed to make you retire, then?"

Alf gave a proud smile. "Not yet. I only do 4 days a week now, though. On Fridays, I help out at Ashfordly hall with security."

Dennis nodded once more and looked round at the increased number of desks that now crowded the room, and the mess they all appeared to be in. He'd have to remedy that situation, for he couldn't abide disorganisation.

Alf watched the scot silently for a short while, sure he'd heard that the man had retired from the police force, but decided presently that he'd find out the information later. "Phil is still here, still as messy as ever. Then we've got William, a constable named Rob Walker who has taken over Mike's old patch, and another constable called James Ward. No relation to Gina."

"And the sergeant?"

"Well, we did have Sergeant Noakes for a while, you'd remember her, but then we-"

"I didn't ask for a history lesson, Ventress."

"Right. No. Sorry. Mike is the Sergeant now. He left just after you, and came back about a year ago."

Dennis was relieved the man he'd have to work closely with was at least someone he knew. This situation would probably be hard enough without having to discuss everything with a stranger. "Right, well, I might go into town and familiarise myself with the place again, and then I'll pop back later to meet everyone."

Alf watched him walk towards the door, but was unable to stop his curiosity getting the better of him and finally called out the question that had been playing in his mind. "How is Jenny?"

Dennis stopped, hand on the doorknob. He paused for a moment before glancing back towards the man he'd last seen 3 years ago in less than pleasant circumstances. "…She's fine."


	2. Chapter 2

Dennis wandered slowly around the town, amazed by the growth it seemed to have had in such a short amount of time. There was so many new faces, but many familiar ones too he realised as Gina rushed towards him.

"Sergeant Merton! Phil didn't say you were back!" Gina grinned up at him as a small boy tugged at her skirt.

"He wouldn't know, I haven't seen him yet. Is this your son?"

Gina glanced down and gave a laugh. "No, thankfully, because he's a little rascal. I'm looking after him for a friend."

"Right. Well, I'd better get on."

Gina nodded, and when her face grew a little more serious, he knew what was coming. "How's Jenny?"

"She's fine."

When he said no more, Gina smiled once more. "Well, tell her I asked after her, and maybe I'll see you in the Aidensfield Arms later?"

"Aye, maybe." Dennis nodded his goodbye and continued walking, still unsure if returning was the right choice.

….

"Sarge!" Mike jumped up when the door opened to reveal his old sergeant.

"That would be you now, wouldn't it?" Dennis gave a slight smile and Mike lowered his head with a grin.

"Sorry. Habit. When Alf said you were back, I thought he'd finally lost his-" Mike stopped, aware what he'd just been about to say.

"Marbles?" Dennis supplied, and watched the uncomfortable grin Mike gave.

"Mm. Anyway, division didn't tell me you were coming, they just said they'd assigned an inspector for the region who would be stationed here."

"Aye, well they offered me the job a few weeks ago, but I didn't accept it until the last minute."

Mike motioned for him to take a seat and called out to William to make some tea. "I thought…at least, I heard you'd left the force."

"I did, for a short time."

When nothing more was forthcoming, Mike cleared his throat and attempted to get down to business by handing Dennis a file. "We haven't finished your office yet, unfortunately, but division has sent through some information about what they want from you."

Dennis accepted the file and began reading it. Feeling eyes on him, he glanced up after a moment and found Mike attempted to see whether he was still wearing his wedding ring. With a sigh, Dennis shut the file. "Perhaps there's something you want to ask?"

"Oh. Well, I…I was just wondering how Jenny is?"

"She's fine."

Alf had told Mike this was the scots response when he'd asked him, too, but Mike was determined to find out a little more about his old friend.

"Will you be moving back to Ashfordly or staying where you are?"

"I've already moved back. A couple of days ago, actually."

"Oh, right! Will…ah…Jenny be joining you?"

Dennis opened the file once more and began skimming it. "I see you've got a wedding ring on yourself."

"Ah, yes. It happened quite recently, actually. The new pharmacist, would you believe!"

Dennis gave a polite smile and continued to read the file in front of him, glad when a knock on the door interrupted them and the man who had introduced himself as Rob Walker opened the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sarge, but there's someone here to see you."

Mike frowned and looked down at his diary, sure he hadn't organised anything. "Send them in." To Dennis, he offered, "Probably Oscar. Still likes to keep up to date on every crime that happens on 'his patch'."

On cue, Oscar marched through the door, determined to call Mike to task for not arresting some youngsters who had broken his window, but the wind was taken out of his sails when he saw Dennis sat at the desk, too.

"Sergeant Merton!"

"Inspector Merton, actually."

"No one mentioned you were back."

"Probably because no one knew."

"Will you be here long? How is Jenny?"

Dennis closed his file and stood up. "Long enough. Jenny is fine. I'm going to my new office to see if there's anything I can do to hurry it along, sergeant, and then I will be off to my other stations. Good to see you again, Oscar."

Oscar nodded at him, and when the scot left the room, he turned to Mike and raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's a turn up for the books."


	3. Chapter 3

When Dennis got home that evening, he pushed open the front door with reluctance. He hated coming home to an empty house, especially in winter when it meant it would stay cold no matter how soon he lit the fire.

With a sigh, he surveyed the unpacked boxes and then walked slowly to the kitchen to set about making himself something to eat. Finding he only had bread and cheese, for he'd forgotten to shop for anything else, he made himself a sandwich and then moved to the phone. Dialling the number that was written by the phone, he waited impatiently until it was answered. "I'd like to speak to Jenny Merton, please. Room 104."

…

The next day, Phil was making his way to the station masters house when he noticed the inspector stood waiting on the railway station platform. The constable was watching him curiously when Frank approached. "Train is running late, Phil, and I have some packages to take off it, so why don't you go in and have a cup of tea and I'll come when I've finished."

Nodding, Phil disappeared into the office and set about making himself a cup of tea. Spotting a cake on the table, he realised why Alf was normally the one who insisted on coming to speak to the station master.

…

Dennis looked impatiently at his watch every few seconds, sure that time was going slower than it normally did.

…

Phil was pleased to find that if he sat by the window, he was just able to see the scot and watched with interest as the train pulled up. He was trying to see if the inspector was meeting anyone when a blonde head passed the window. Alert, for he knew everyone would ask him about it, Phil leant closer to the window and squinted to see if this was who he was meeting.

The scots impatient face suddenly transformed into a grin and he took a couple of steps forward, enveloping the blonde in his arms.

"Turn around!" Phil hissed quietly, unable to tell who the blonde was.

To his dismay, the inspector moved to walk beside the woman, putting an arm around her waist as they walked to the exit that was in the opposite direction to where Phil sat.

…

"I can't just show up for no reason!"

That afternoon, Phil told Gina what he had seen, then asked her to go to Dennis' house and find out who the woman was.

"Well, take something for him as a house warming present. Go on. Don't you want to know about Jenny as much as the rest of us?"

Gina sighed and glared at him for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Fine. I'll go if you'll paint the kitchen, like you've been promising to!"

Phil let out a long sigh. He hated painting. "Ok."

…

"Gina!" Dennis looked surprised when he opened his front door that evening to find her stood on his front step.

"Brought you a house warming gift. I seem to remember you liked my soup."

Dennis smiled and stepped aside. "I did. Come in."

Gina stepped inside the house and noted all the unopened moving boxes everywhere.

"Tea?"

"Please. It's freezing outside."

Dennis led her to the lounge, then disappeared to the kitchen. Gina surveyed the room with a critical eye, looking for any signs of a woman's touch, or just proof that a woman had been there. All she found was a photo of Jenny on the mantelpiece, but was unable to tell how recent it was. Just as she was about to glance into the cardboard box that looked full of photo albums, Dennis returned and held out a cup of tea.

"Here you are. Sorry it's so cold in here, I think there's something blocking the chimney, but the only person I've come across who's willing to check it out is David, and I'm not sure that's the best idea."

Gina smiled and took a sip of the tea. "I'll speak to the man who does the pubs and get him to give you a call, if you like?"

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The room was silent for a moment before Gina attempted to get some information from him. "Mrs Simons used to live here, but she left when her husband died, said it was too big for just one person."

Dennis nodded, but supplied none of the information Gina had hoped for. She found the rest of her questions gained the same results, and when she left half an hour later it was empty handed.


	4. Chapter 4

_**As gluegirl56 noted in the comments, this story is AU. It mostly followed the correct timeline but with slight differences to characters and previous plot. I'll endeavour to explain all differences in the story, but if you get lost, PM me!**_

…

For the next week, people continued to try to get information about Jenny, but all they got from Dennis was the same answer. She was fine.

One evening, Alf was leaning on the bar talking to Oscar. "Perhaps he's left her. All Gina saw was a photo."

"I suppose it's possible. All I've managed to find out from division is that he quit for about 6 months, then started back part time as an advisor until the posting here came up. Looks like he pulled some strings to come back."

As Alf opened his mouth to reply, Dennis approached the bar and gave them both a perfunctory smile. "Pint please, Oscar."

"Good to see you back, Dennis. Alf and I were just discussing how we're glad it was you and not one of those city sort who took the post."

Dennis accepted his beer with a nod and passed across his payment. "I'm sure that's what you were discussing, Oscar. Excuse me."

As the scot walked to a table, Oscar turned to Alf and raised his eyebrows.

….

When Dennis heard people walking towards the house the next evening, he surveyed the room. He'd barely managed to do any unpacking, because every night people showed up under the pretence of offering a house-warming gift.

He waited until there was a knock on the door and then approached it with reluctance. This time he found Alf standing there with a bottle of whisky.

"House-warming gift from me and Mrs Ventress," He supplied with a smile.

Taking the offered gift, Dennis thanked him and then stepped aside. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"Oh, don't mind if I do!"

…

Alf made himself comfortable on the couch and the accepted the offered cup of tea. "So, what have you been doing with yourself these past few years?"

"I worked as an advisor to the MET, mostly."

Alf nodded, though this wasn't what he'd wanted to hear. "And how has life been treating you? Any kids, yet?"

Alf congratulated himself silently for managing to sound less interested than he was, but was disappointed when the phone rang and the man excused himself before he replied.

Just as Alf was about to take a glance into the photo albums that Gina had spotted, Dennis returned. "Sorry to leave this here, Alf, since you seem to have a few questions planned, but I need to go out."

"Nothing the matter, I hope?"

Dennis just offered a smile and apologised again before ushering Alf from the house.

Alf walked to his car and sat in it patiently until Dennis exited the house a short time later. A few seconds after the inspector drove off, Alf followed him.

…

"And she's alright?" Dennis asked the nurse anxiously as he followed her brisk pace down the corridor.

"she will be fine. I'm afraid you can't go in there just yet, so if you'd like to wait here?" The nurse motioned to a row of seats.

"Can you let her know I'm here?"

The nurse nodded and disappeared through swinging doors.

…

Alf gave a triumphant grin. The inspector had pulled up outside a hospital, and Alf had just the excuse to go in and happen to bump into him. Mrs Ventress' sister was a patient, though he wasn't sure why, and he knew she'd never turn down a visit.

Parking, Alf followed Dennis' rushed pace up the front steps.

…

"Well, what a turn up for the books! Wasn't expecting to see you here!" Alf approached the inspector, who was now sat resting back against the uncomfortable hospital seats.

"I could say the same about you." Dennis replied dryly, sure the man had followed him.

"Oh, I'm just here to see Mrs Ventress' sister. She had an operation yesterday, and Mrs Ventress asked me to pop in this evening on account of her having-"

"Well, I won't hold you up then, I'm sure she's eager to see you." Dennis spoke sharply.

Just as Alf was about to give in, the swinging doors were pushed open and Jenny appeared, her steps faltering when she saw Alf stood there.


	5. Chapter 5

Dennis jumped up when he saw Jenny walking towards them. "Can I go in yet?"

Jenny gave Alf a shy smile before turning to Dennis. "The nurse said one at a time, so you go through and I'll wait out here."

Dennis nodded, dropped a kiss to her cheek. He then glanced at Alf and back to Jenny, hesitant to leave them alone together. "..I won't be a minute."

Alf watched Jenny take a seat, and they stood in silence for a short while before Alf supplied. "I'm here to see Mrs Ventress' sister."

Jenny gave a polite smile but offering nothing else.

"…It was a surprise to find Inspector Merton back in Ashfordly, I can tell you. Still, he's fitting in nicely. I imagine you will be joining him?"

"I imagine I will be." Jenny said softly, eyes clamped on the doors.

"…How are you? Only once everyone knows I've seen you, they'll be full of questions."

"I'm fine, thank you."

Alf studied her profile. "…I do hope it's nothing serious. Through there, I mean."

Jenny finally glanced at him again. "Dennis' sister has just had a baby. It was early, so every one has been taken a little by surprise."

Alf offered an encouraging smile, hoping for more information, but as she finished talking, Dennis returned and ushered Jenny back through. "Goodnight, Ventress."

"Night, Sir."

…

"Well, what did she say?" Gina encouraged Alf. After his visit to the hospital, he'd rushed straight to the pub to share his news.

"Not much, actually. Just said she's fine and that Merton's sister has had a baby."

"She must have said more than that!"

Alf shook his head and took another sip of his pint.

"How did she look?"

"…Like she always did."

Gina rolled her eyes. "You men are useless. I'll have to go. I'm sure Mrs Ventress' sister wouldn't say no to another visitor."

Alf's face fell and he downed his pint before grabbing his hat. "I forgot to go and see her!"

Gina laughed as she watched him rush out.

…

The next evening, Gina pulled into the hospital car park at visitor's time and made for the maternity ward. Trying to ignore the memories the surroundings brought back, she walked with purpose towards the ward.

"Don't." A voice spoke from behind her just as she reached the entrance. When she turned with a frown, Gina found the inspector approaching her with a cup of tea.

"If you're here to see Jenny, please don't go through."

Caught out, Gina hesitated before replying, "I just want to see how she is. She was a good friend."

"Aye, I know she was, but she doesn't want to see people from Ashfordly, at least not yet. She's embarrassed."

"She doesn't need to be!"

"But she is, and people asking her round about questions without actually asking her what they want to know isn't helping."

Gina lowered her head. "Will you tell her I was asking after her, then? Tell her I'd love to see her. We could meet somewhere. Anytime."

Dennis nodded and walked past her towards the door, but stopped when Gina called out his name.

"How is she? Really?"

Dennis turned and gave a slight smile. "She's good. Very good."


	6. Chapter 6

Gina scrubbed the floor angrily. Oscar had promised he'd be around today for the delivery, but then that morning he'd casually said he'd be off and disappeared to god knows where. She silently decided that if he showed up before the evening rush, she was going to leave him to deal with it alone.

"Oscar left you in the lurch?"

Gina hadn't heard anyone coming in and gave a jump before turning her head. "Jenny!"

Jenny gave a smile, and then watched as Gina scrambled to her feet and threw herself at the blonde with open arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you!"

"Sorry. If you're busy, I can-" Jenny took a step back, but Gina grabbed her arm.

"Never too busy for catching up with an old friend. Go through to the snug and I'll get some tea."

…

Gina was dismayed that she didn't seem to be able to find the right words to ask Jenny what she wanted to know, so settled on just telling Jenny what she had been up to with the hope that the blonde would open up.

"Phil and I got married. Finally. Oscar has taken over the license for this place, and he thinks that gives him the right to lord over me, bar whoever he wants and swan off without the slightest notice."

"Sounds just like the Oscar I remember."

"He's even worse now he's got a fancy woman. No one has met her yet, but Alf has seen them together in Whitby. Holding hands, would you believe!"

Jenny laughed. "I can't imagine Oscar holding hands with anyone."

Gina took a sip of her tea, then attempted casually. "Alf said he saw you at the hospital a few days ago."

"I was visiting Dennis' sister. She's just had a baby and I'm looking after her other children. She was sick for a while leading up to the birth."

Gina nodded, wondering if this was the explanation for why Dennis seemed to have moved up here alone. "What about you and Dennis, any children?"

Jenny hesitated before answering, for the calm life she led now seemed so at odds with the life she'd lived in Ashfordly, and she was reluctant to merge both lives together. "One. A son."

Gina took the offered photo. "He's gorgeous! How old?"

"Almost 3."

When Gina glanced up at Jenny with a slight frown, Jenny gave a sigh. "I know you have questions, Gina. I know everyone probably does, but I'm just not ready to discuss anything. I was sick but I'm fine now, and my marriage with Dennis is fine, and I will be joining him here when his sister is back on her feet, so you can tell everyone that. I need to go, or I'll miss the train back."

Gina jumped to her feet, about to deny that she'd wanted to know anything, but knew Jenny remembered village life too well to believe that. "Give me a call when you're back, or pop in. I've really missed you, Jen."

Jenny gave a smile before rushing to the door. Outside, she took a deep, calming breath and was glad she'd made the first move.

…

"If you'd told me you were coming, I could have joined you." Dennis spoke into the phone, remembering with dismay that he'd forgotten to shop, so would be stuck with cheese sandwiches for dinner. Again.

"I needed to do it myself. I can't hide from them forever, much as I'd like to some days."

"Well, from what I've heard there's been enough scandal here in the last three years to wipe you out of most people's memories."

Jenny gave a soft laugh. "Oh thanks, Dennis, that makes me feel so much better! Have you had your dinner yet?"

"No, I'm delaying it for as long as possible, because I'm not sure I can stand another cheese sandwich."

"You're lucky you have such a lovely wife, then. If you look in the fridge, you'll find I went shopping for you."

Dennis pulled it open and gave a happy groan. "Sausages."

"Try not to set the house on fire while cooking them this time."

Dennis smiled as he pulled out the other things she'd purchased. "I only set a tea towel alight, thank you."

"And a curtain."

"On that note, I'm going to go and burn myself some dinner. I'll call you again tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

A week later, Phil pulled up outside the train station and realised with interest that he'd parked next to the inspector's car. Hearing the train pulling into the station, he rushed towards the arrival area, hoping to see who the Inspector was meeting, for Gina wouldn't tell him anything.

…

Dennis waited impatiently on the train platform. It was running late. As usual. He was supposed to be in Whitby in an hour, and he'd been late last time he'd been due there, as well.

…

Jenny took a deep breath as the train pulled into the station. She was back now, officially, and all her worries were beginning to surface. What if it happened again? She quickly reminded herself that life was very different to what it had been, and besides, she knew the warning signs now, and she had monthly appointments with a specialist.

…

Phil rushed up the steps over the overpass, and was just in time to see the same blonde head rest itself on the inspectors shoulder. He watched them embrace eagerly, and then frowned when the inspector squatted down to talk to a small boy. Turning his attention back to the blonde, Phil was rewarded by the sight of Jenny.

…

"I didn't think you were coming to meet us, I thought you'd booked a taxi." Jenny handed Dennis one of the cases as he held their son with his other arm.

"Aye well, I couldn't let my two favourite people go to their new house all alone!"

His son grinned and quickly pulled off Dennis' hat to wear it himself.

"Have you been shopping, or will it be cheese sandwiches for lunch?" Jenny asked as Dennis led them towards the car.

"There's food, but I can't take the credit for it. Gina went shopping, and she's cleaned up." He glanced at Jenny, unsure of how she'd feel about this, but she just dropped a kiss from his cheek before taking their son to put him in the car.

…

"I've seen her!" Phil entered the pub triumphantly.

Gina finished serving a lodger his lunch before looking at Phil with raised eyebrows. "Seen who?"

'Jenny, of course! And, you'll never guess this- I think they have a child."

"Is that so? Are you staying for your lunch?"

Phil's face fell, for he'd been expecting much more excitement from her. "Well, no. I need to get back to the station."

"Right, well I'll see you tonight then. Ta-ra."

…

As soon as Phil had driven away, Gina ran to tell Oscar she needed to go out, then grabbed her coat and rushed from the door without even waiting for his reply.


	8. Chapter 8

Dennis stroked back Jenny's hair and dropped a kiss to the top of her head where it rested against his chest.

"I thought you said you had somewhere to be?"

At Jenny's question, he gave a sigh. "Aye, I do."

Jenny sat up a little and turned to him with a coy smile. "Shouldn't you be going, then?"

"Aye, I should." Dennis offered a grin in return, then captured his wife's lips once more.

…

Gina came to a breathless halt outside the front door of the Merton household and took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell. When there was no reply after a few moments, she lifted her had to knock, but the door was pulled from her reach by a ruffled looking Inspector.

"Can I help you?" His voice was sharp, and Gina got the distinct impression that he didn't appreciate being interrupted.

"I, ah-" She hesitated, but a smile soon lit her face as she spied a blonde behind him.

"You're quick. I've only been here half an hour." Jenny smiled at her friend.

"Milk one sugar, please." Gina smiled back up at Jenny as Dennis stepped aside to let her in.

As the brunette entered and began looking around for the child Phil had mentioned, Dennis turned to Jenny with reluctance. "I'd better go."

"I'd wipe off that lipstick before you do."

When Dennis turned to glance in a mirror, a smile rose to his lips and he wiped away her lipstick that still remained on the corner of his mouth.

…

"Dennis gone back to work, has he?" Gina accepted the offered cup of tea.

"Mm-hmm. Do you normally walk into people's houses and begin looking through their photo albums?" Jenny asked with a slight smile as Gina looked guilty down at the album she'd slammed shut a moment earlier.

"Sorry, just curious. So, you're back here for good now?"

"Nice change of subject. Anyone would think you're a policeman's wife."

…

That evening, Dennis sat back into his armchair with a satisfied sigh. The first proper meal he'd had in weeks. "Remind me never to lend you to my sister again."

"Oh, you lent me, did you? Because of course I would do everything you want me to." Jenny teased as she sat on the couch and curled her legs under herself.

They sat in companionable silence for a while before Dennis asked lightly. "How was it with Gina? What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, really. I'd forgotten how hard it is to get a word in. Just as she ran out of steam, Charlie appeared and told her he'd have to arrest her for waking him up."

Dennis gave a soft laugh. "Sounds about right. What did she do?"

"Asked to see his warrant card. He burst into tears because he lost it on the way here."

Dennis smiled and took a sip of his wine. "Just like his dad."


	9. Chapter 9

Jenny took a deep breath and glanced towards Dennis, who offered her a smile. "It's only a drink, Jen. If anyone asks you anything you don't want to talk about, refer them to me and I'll break their nose."

Jenny smiled at this and climbed from the car. "You would not."

Dennis slid his arm around his wife's waist. "I would. At least, I would seriously consider it."

…

"Jenny!" Mike jumped to his feet, interrupting his wife mid story to greet the blonde. "It's great to see you. Can I get you a drink? Oh, and you, Sarge."

"You're the Sarge now, Bradley." Dennis reminded him again. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your wife?"

"Ah yes, sorry Sa…Sir. This is Marie. Marie, this is Jenny and-" He hesitated, unsure how to introduce the man who, in the last few weeks, and become more of a friend than superior.

"Dennis." The scot held out his hand, and Marie shook it firmly, but her eyes were on Jenny as she wondered if she should be jealous of this woman Mike had spoken so much about.

"It's lovely to meet you both. Why don't you come and sit with us? I would love to have someone to moan about being married to a policeman with!"

As Jenny sat with Marie, Dennis accompanied Mike to the bar where a distracted Gina gave them a wave to let them know she'd be with them soon.

Since Jenny had been back, a week now, Gina had spent most of her evening's at the Merton household, but that morning Oscar had put his foot down and told her she would have to work that evening.

…

Two days earlier, Gina looked down at a photo album, this time with permission. "He was tiny! And look at that hair. He must have been a favourite with the nurses."

Jenny gave a sad smile and looked away from the photos that still pained her to look at. "I'm sure he was, but I wasn't there to see it."

Gina glanced up from the photo to her friend and finally asked gently. "What happened, Jen?"

Jenny sighed and played with the blanket that rested over the arm of the couch. "…Apparently it can happen sometimes. I have this… illness. My mother had it too, only I didn't realise or at least no one told me. Most of the time it's fine, and I take medication, but sometimes, particularly during stressful periods, I can get...well, you heard and saw how I got. They think I always had the potential for it to happen, but after getting hepatitis, and then getting pregnant, my body just…stopped fighting it, I suppose."

Gina edged forward in her seat and took Jenny's hand. "Oh, Jen. I'm so sorry."

Jenny took a deep breath, then looked up with a smile. "There's nothing I can do about it. It is what it is, and I'm stuck with it, so I just do my best. We all do."

"Well, now you've got me, too."

Jenny's smiled widened and she squeezed Gina's hand. "Thank you."

…

"You're that Jenny? I always wondered about the woman whose name was scribbled all over everything."

Jenny smiled and then glanced towards Dennis where he still waited at the bar. "I was a scribbler, I'm afraid. Especially when certain women came in and thought I'd love to meet their son, or look after their child or hear about their fancy new radio."

Marie laughed, nodding. "Oh, I know the sort. Although they're not as bad as the people who think they have the right to walk right to the front of the queue."

"Joyce Jowett?" Jenny asked, making Marie laugh again.

...

Dennis watched from the bar and gave a smile when he saw Jenny laugh, allowing him to relax a little.


	10. Chapter 10

When Gina finally got to them, she gave a wide smile. "Good to see you both in here, Dennis. Who is looking after Charlie?"

"Who's Charlie?" Mike asked as he accepted a drink from Gina.

"I thought Phil would have filled everyone in on that." Dennis took a sip of his pint.

"I've told him to keep his gob shut." Gina supplied, and was rewarded with a smile from the Inspector.

"Charlie is my son, Mike. He'll be 3 next week."

"3? That-"

"Shall we take these over to the ladies?" Dennis asked, and then turned to walk to the table as Mike turned to Gina with raised eyebrows.

"Don't push it, Mike. You'll find out soon enough." Gina supplied.

…

"7."

Dennis raised his eyebrows the next morning and looked down at his son. "You want 7 new footballs?"

Charlie nodded, arms folded as he watched his father fix his tie.

"Why?"

Charlie replied with a shrug, his face still red with the angry tears he'd shed minutes earlier instead of eating his breakfast.

"Can you carry 7 footballs?" Dennis gave one last glance in the mirror and then turned to pick up his coat.

"Yes." Charlie supplied.

"You'd better go Dennis, or you'll be late." Jenny spoke from the doorway as Charlie's bottom lip began to wobble.

Dennis glanced at the clock, and then squatted to his son's level. "Why don't you and your mummy come to meet me at lunch time and we will see if we can find you a new ball?"

Charlie thought about this for a moment, and then nodded, returning to mourn over the ball he'd somehow popped at 5am that morning, waking both his parents.

…

"Can I help you?" William approached the front desk where an attractive blonde stood.

"Is Inspector Merton in?"

William hesitated, remembering the Inspector berating him that morning for telling one of the women on the council that he was in his office.

"He's not available at the moment, but I can take a message?"

Jenny hesitated and was relieved when Phil appeared and gave her a wide grin. "Morning, Jen, what can we do for you?"

"The lady was asking to speak to Inspector Merton," William supplied, "But he said he wasn't to be disturbed."

"Well perhaps he'll change his mind when you tell him his wife is here."

"His w…oh." William glanced at Jenny then rushed towards Dennis' office.

"Sorry about William, he can be a bit slow on the uptake."

"Just like another constable was, if I remember correctly." Jenny teased.

"Excuse me, I will have you know I'm a married man now and completely at ease with responsibility."

"I bet you are." As Jenny smiled, they heard Dennis yelling at William, making them both flinch.

"…William broke the radio this morning and didn't bother to tell anyone, so we're all behind on work." Phil supplied, disappearing as the Inspector appeared and gave Jenny a distracted smile.

"Sorry. I told him I didn't want to be disturbed."

"It's fine, Dennis. He couldn't have known who I was."

Dennis gave a grunt as he joined Jenny in front of the counter. "Is there something you needed?"

Jenny hesitated, unused to the sharpness in his voice. After a long pause, she spoke quietly. "Can we go to your office, please?"

"Jen, I'm snowed under, I don't have time for-"

"I don't care, Dennis. Your office, now."

From his spot in the tea room, Phil smirked to himself as he heard the Inspector agree and plod to his office.

…

"Sit."

"Jen-"

"I don't intend to move backwards, Dennis. You can snap at your officers all you like, but you will not speak to me like that what I haven't done a thing!"

After a moments pause, Dennis offered a soft apology and rubbed his temple. "I'd just forgotten what it was like to run a station."

"You don't run a station, the sergeant does. You're here to oversee that all the stations can work well together. If something goes wrong, you refer it to the sergeant and give him some work to do instead of taking it all on yourself."

Dennis gave a slight smile. He'd forgotten what this Jenny was like. This time he spoke more softly. "What did you come to see me about?"

"Steve called and asked to meet me, he won't say about what. Gina offered to look after Charlie, and I should be back by about 4 to pick him up, but if I'm not can you go and get him?"

Dennis sighed, for Steve had been in and out of trouble for years and always seemed to rely on Jenny to get him out of it. Still, he'd learned in the past not to say anything about it unless Jenny asked him for help. "We won't be able to meet for lunch, then."

"No, but I brought you something so you've no excuse to go all day without eating." Jenny placed a box on his desk, and then watched as he took her hand and dropped a kiss to it.

"What would I do without you?"

"You would have blown your top years ago."

Dennis smiled and dropped another kiss to her hand before releasing it. "Ok, pick Charlie up at 4 if you're not back, eat my lunch on time and delegate some of my work. Anything else, Mrs Merton?"


	11. Chapter 11

Dennis glanced at the clock with a frown. It was almost 8pm now, and he hadn't heard from Jenny since that morning. At 4 on the dot, he'd called Gina but she hadn't heard from her either. He'd taken Charlie home and they'd spent a pleasant afternoon together, but after the boy went to bed Dennis began to focus on the phone. Jenny would normally call, at least to tell him of her plans even if she wasn't intending to come home that evening.

At 10, as Dennis was beginning to drift off in his armchair, the phone finally gave a ring and he leapt from his chair to answer it.

"Jenny?"

"Ah…no, Sir, sorry. It's Mike. I just got a message from division, and they asked me to pass it on to you straight away."

Dennis sighed and glanced at the clock again. "Right, what is it?"

"There's an escaped prisoner, the van was stopped as he was being taken to another prison, and they've reason to believe he's headed this way. If he is, he won't get here until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, so they're sending more man power down tomorrow and they want you to liaise with all the stations. They'll also have more information ready for you in Ashfordly tomorrow morning."

"Right, thanks Bradley."

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow then."

"Aye, see you then." Dennis hung up the phone with a sigh and was wondering what he would do with Charlie if jenny wasn't back when he heard a car pull up outside.

With a frown, he walked to the window and was relieved to see Jenny climbing from a car. Without waiting to see who the driver was, the Inspector rushed to the front door and pulled it open.

Before he could speak, Jenny whispered an apology and a moment later Steve appeared with a grin. "Evening, Den!"

Dennis looked down at Jenny for a moment, then stepped aside to let them into the house.

"Any food in, Den? I'm starving. I've had the longest day of my life, and last time I ate was an apple for breakfast."

"You can have what you like. I'm going to bed." Dennis turned and left the room.

"Still a charmer I see." Steve grinned.

"Stop it, Steve. Why do you always try and push his buttons?"

"Oh come on, Jen! It's funny."

"For you, maybe, but not for anyone else. I'm going to bed. Turn the lights off when you're done."

As she turned, he grabbed her arm and looked at her earnestly. "You won't tell him what happened, will you?"

"He deserves to know, Steve."

"Please. At least not until tomorrow, when I can explain myself."

Jenny shook her arm free and took another step from the room. "Ok, tomorrow."

…

Dennis lay in the dark listening to Jenny move about, first to check on Charlie, and then to change for bed. When she finally climbed in, her hand rested on his chest.

"Are you awake, Dennis?"

He gave no reply, annoyed that she'd brought Steve back again, despite the arguments it had caused in the past.

After waiting a few moments for a reply, Jenny gave a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder, shutting her eyes.

…

Dennis woke early the next morning and got ready for work reluctantly. He hated leaving Jenny alone with Steve, who seemed to enjoy rubbing everyone up the wrong way. He knew Jenny loved her brother, but he also saw the worry he caused her and how tired she always appeared to be when Steve was around.

He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Steve appeared with a grin. "Morning Den. You're up early."

The coffee that had seemed so inviting when he'd entered the quiet kitchen suddenly had less appeal, and the inspector decided he'd have breakfast in his office.

"I could say the same for you, though I'm not sure it counts if you haven't been to bed yet."

"I didn't keep you up, did I?" Steve took the discarded cup of coffee and drank it in one gulp.

Dennis replied with a grunt and picked up his hat.

"Need me to pass on any messages to Jenny?" Steve asked, wearing the grin that Dennis hated.

"No, thank you."

"Right well, see you when you get home tonight then!"

With a sigh, Dennis left the house.


	12. Chapter 12

Dennis had just sat down at his desk with his breakfast when the phone gave a ring. He glanced at the clock and noticed it wasn't even close to 8am yet.

"Merton."

"Have you looked at the file yet?" His superior snapped.

"No, sir. I only just got in."

"Only just?! I told Bradley he was to tell everyone they needed to be in early! I suppose no one else is there yet, either? Your station is-"

"I have the file in front of me, sir, is there anything you wanted to add?" Dennis interrupted, feeling a headache already brewing.

"Well… no."

"Then I'll read it straight away and call you back if there's anything I need to discuss with you." Dennis slammed the phone down. It was going to be one of those days.

…

The station was inundated with calls about sightings all day, and Dennis was so busy he forgot about his home life until Steve showed up at the station just before lunchtime with a grin.

"Alright, Den? Can I have a word?'

"I'm busy." Dennis snapped, handing a file to one of the constables.

"It won't take a minute."

Dennis sighed, and then motioned to the interview room before following his brother in law in.

"What is it?"

"Do you mind if I hang around for a few weeks?"

"Why are you asking me? You've never bothered before."

"…Because I need your help."

Dennis gave another sigh and shut the door that led to the office. "With what?"

"It's about that escaped prisoner."

Dennis' head snapped up and he eyed Steve suspiciously. "What about him?"

"I sort of…I've been…"

"Spit it out!"

"Jenny only knows part of the story, because I don't want to upset her. You won't tell her the whole truth will you."

"I don't know if you won't tell me what it is!"

This time Steve sighed and stared at the floor. "I've been seeing his daughter. She found out a couple of weeks ago that she's pregnant and decided she wanted her father to know. Only he wasn't happy about it and he was going to send people after me. She suggested I leave the city until things settle down, but then Jenny told me this morning about the escaped prisoner, and when I heard his name…"

"…Let me get this straight. You decided to come here, to your sister's house, one of the first places people would come looking for you, and you didn't bother to tell anyone else they might be in danger?"

"…I didn't exactly think it through."

After a few seconds thought, Dennis came to a decision. "Go through there and give as many details as you can to Sergeant Bradley. And do not hold anything back, I mean it Steve."

"Where are you going? Can't I tell you?"

"We've had possible sightings as close as Whitby, Steve! I'm going to get Jenny and Charlie out of that house. I can't believe you've been so stupid!"


End file.
